Version 0.2 - Unfinished. See the note in the "Acknowledgements" section for the revision history.

ByMatthew Balmeraka InspectorPraline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Copyright (c) 2002 Matthew Balmer. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this documentunder the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or anylater version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the InvariantSections being the following Chapters as titled in the contents: 1. Acknowledgements and History,2. Introduction,3. Stuff You Probably Should Have,4. Pantry Check,5. Techniques and Terms in Common Use,6. The Basics,and any recipes that are added by the author, InspectorPraline (aka MatthewBalmer); recipes added by third parties are copyrighted by the submitter, andshould also be treated as Invariant Sections for purposes of modification bythose other than the original authors.

There are currently no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. This maychange in future releases.

A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU FreeDocumentation License" at the end of this document. Note that in versionsflagged UNFINISHED (see the title page for version flag) the license may notactually be present. If this is the case, please see the document on the Webat:

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Contents

Acknowledgements and History

Introduction

Stuff You Probably Should Have

Pantry Check

Techniques and Terms in Common Use

The Basics

Recipes

Spice Guide

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Acknowledgements First off, I want to thank my mother and father for giving me so manywonderful ideas to cook with - without their help, I wouldn't know a thingabout how to cook short of "put it in the microwave and watch." Another thing I've learned from my parents is to experiment. From mychildhood, when "cooking" meant taking hot water and pouring a bunch of spicesinto the water to see what you liked, to now, when I experiment witheverything from steaks to soups, I've learned how to test the waters so Ilearn about what I like. Hopefully, this book will help you maximize not justyour budget, but your palate as well. Additionally, I'd like to thank the folks at slashdot.org for thebucketloads of recipes they submitted to help beef up the size of thecookbook. You'll find nicknames for them in each recipe, and some have electedto include their email addresses in the recipes. Be sure to send them nicecomments!! I also want to thank all the folks who looked at the website and decidedto send me recipes - without your submissions this book would be awfully thin.

I also want to thank my good friend Rob Marshall for the numerous designand layout hints given me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~HistoryRevision 0.1, July 2002. Very disorganized, but at least I've got a bunch ofgood ideas thanks to the folks from Slashdot and the webpage viewers. Thisprinting was rather rushed, as I've got quite a bit of recipes to try to puttogether. Put together from about 20 recipes along with the initial guide,this is nowhere near finished. Issued as a formatting example, with commentssought. Total length of this version: 35 pages @ Letter size.ToDo:* continue to add more recipes from emails/comments received* add the geek-kitchen-toys section to the book* add the meat purchasing guide* add the suppliers' guide* categorize recipes

Version 0.2. Revised a few sentences, and added some comments from readersbased on some incorrect/misleading statements made in version 0.1. Made abunch of design changes, including typesetting changes and the addition ofcolor facing pages for the individual chapters. Replaced standard screencolors in Word and PDF versions with standard PANTONE(tm) colors to producemore accurate colors in printing. Re-typeset the book to look a little moreinteresting, and added foundational recipes. Added spice guide. 53 pgs @letter size.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Introduction Welcome, folks, to The Open Source Cookbook. This is my first attempt atcompiling an entire book of recipes and cuisine ideas from the Open Sourcesoftware world - the kind of stuff that you'd cook before you sit down for along night of coding, or the kind of stuff you prepare when you've got a LANparty in a few hours. Many of these recipes were obtained via the geek newswebsite Slashdot (slashdot.org), where I am a proud member, and where many,many amateur cooks hide.

The whole book was created with the geek in the kitchen at heart, but with abent toward the college geek. Suffice to say, most collegiate geeks have spenta fair chunk on their computer hardware (as I have) and may or may not havethe money or resources to cook a 5-course dinner.

Now, of course, many of these recipes are much more difficult to prepare inthe college dormitory, the primary reason being that city fire codes in justabout every city I know of prevent you from having an open heating element inrooms that are smaller than a certain size, which means no range tops, noovens, and not even a buffet range. Many of these recipes require a stove oroven, but there are others that can be done and can work just as well in amicrowave.

There are two symbols I'll use in this book:(i): Information. This can be information that's pertinent to theparticular recipe you're making, good advice, or a little bit of triviaregarding the recipe itself.(X): CAUTION. Information here usually regards your personal safety - ifnot that, it's the safety of the dish you're making! Heed well!

The last bit of information I'm going to include here is aboutabbreviations: In the recipes, I've used the standard notations of"tablespoon," "teaspoon," etc. For amounts that could have duplicate scales ofmeasurement (considering people from all over the world could potentially readthis) I've tried to convert the U.S. measurement standards to Metric whereapplicable. Thus, things like "1 lb ground beef" will read "0.5 kgs groundbeef" as well. Here's the list of abbreviations used throughout the book,along with some equivalents: (note: all the abbreviated volumetricmeasurements here are U.S. format. So, a cup is a U.S. cup, not a U.K. cup.)

This is a long list, I know, but this is a good general-utensil list. Youdon't necessarily have to have everything here, but it's a good idea. Mostlikely, you'll already have several of these items if your parents handedanything down to you. If you can't afford to fully equip your kitchen yet,don't worry - just buy utensils as you need them. For the geek in all of us,though, I've included a list of "cooking toys" at the back of the book.

Here's where we'll look at the basic foodstuffs that every kitchen shouldhave. Note that I haven't added a lot of perishables, like meats, to this list--largely, only things that are canned, bottled, or boxed are on the list.Also note that this list is far from exhaustive, you could literally stockyour pantry full of thousands of dollars of food, with no two things being thesame. This merely is a general list of things that you should probably havebecause they're things you'll use often.

* All-Purpose Flour. Everyone should have at least a small amount of this onhand. You'll use it frequently in gravies and soups as a thickener, and it'sused in making dough, including cookie dough and bread dough. While we won'tmake any breads in this book, it's good to know what you can do with flour -which is almost anything. There are numerous kinds of flour, includingall-purpose, cake, whole wheat, and other "flavors," but all-purpose is thegood "general" variety, it can be substituted in equal amounts for most othervarieties of flour except self-rising flour. Self-rising flour has a leaveningagent added to it, and if you substitute all-purpose for self-rising yourdough won't rise. Same is true for substituting the other direction, but yourdough may not rise enough or may rise improperly because the chemical balancesare off.

* Aluminum Foil. This stuff will greatly help you in cooking. One of the greatcampout tricks is to take food and wrap it in aluminum foil and then toss itinto the fire for a short time. The foil keeps the food from being burned andalso acts as a miniature broiler. If you have a toaster oven, wrapping a smallpiece of meat inside aluminum foil and then tossing it into the oven willbroil the meat, and will let the meat cook in its own juices, as well askeeping the meat moist.

* Baking Soda. This is the Swiss-army-chainsaw of the kitchen. It's been usedas everything from a leavening agent (makes dough rise) to toothpaste, adeodorizer, a mouthwash, silver polish, and even a drain clog remover. It'salso one of the few raw chemicals you'll find in your kitchen - Baking soda isknown as bicarbonate of soda, or sodium bicarbonate, or for the chemistrystudents, NaCO(2).

* Bouillon (pronounced "bull-yun"), broth, or stock. This stuff is like havinginstant meat stock in a convenient form. It is available in several forms,because it is sold either dehydrated as cubes, granules, or powder, or inliquid form as either a concentrate or pure broth. It is sold in severalvarieties, but the most commonly found are beef, chicken, and vegetable. Youmay find exotic versions such as shrimp, fish, or tomato, but this is rare.Stores selling kosher items will sell packages of bouillon that are eitherchicken or vegetable, and specially prepared according to kosher guidelines.

* Brown Sugar. Brown sugar is either sugar that is left after the refinedwhite sugar has been extracted from the beet, or is made by mixing white sugarwith molasses syrup. The darker the sugar, the more potent the flavor. Brownsugar is a good ingredient for glazes, and is a frequent member in anythinginvolving dough.

* Canned Foods. Everything imaginable, from vegetables to meats to rolls, areall available in cans. Stock up heavily on these, because they keep for years.A story is told about how a 4-pound tin of veal that Sir William Edward Parryhad on him was carried on two journeys to the Northwest Passage in the 1820s -and the can was never opened. It was found and analyzed by scientists in 1938,over 100 years after it was originally sealed, and judged nutritionally andphysically sound, and the contents fed to a cat, who ate hearty, and had noill effects. In general, a can of food is only unsafe if it bulges, is dented,or spurts or sprays when opened (like a pop can would spurt or spray). Anyway,here are some ideas on canned foods to have in your cupboard. o Vegetables. ANY kind is a good idea here. Canned veggies are not onlynutritious and cheap (ranging from 30¢ to 99¢, depending on the veggie and howmuch you're buying) but can be paired with almost any food, or simply eatencooked in water. o Meats. Things in this category include canned ham, chicken, fish, and beef,and even things like Spam (spam spam spam spam). Seriously though, folks,canned meats is a good way to preserve your proteins. Canned hams areexcellent ways to get tasty whole hams that will last next to forever withoutfreezing and still taste like ham. Canned tuna is an excellent source ofOmega-3 fatty acids, and the canning process may actually help bring out moreof these nutrients. o Pastas. Canned pasta dishes (such as SpaghettiOs) are inexpensive, quickways to eat decent food. Often, a 15oz can of SpaghettiOs costs anywhere from98c to about $1.50 apiece, and contains a hefty amount of fiber andcarbohydrates, while being low in fats. o Sauces and Gravies. Tomato sauces, purees, juices, etc., and white andbrown canned gravies are excellent ways to work with all kinds of foods.Canned tomato products are extremely high in lycopene, a cancer-preventingnutrient, and tomato puree and tomato sauce are excellent bases for manydishes. Tomato paste is also a great thickener, and imparts a slightly sharpertomato flavor to whatever dish you're working with. Canned gravies are anexcellent way to liven up an otherwise bland piece of meat, especially if youbuy the cheap stuff. o Juices and Other Drinks. While these are frequently sold frozen, cannedjuices are also sold at room-temperature. Additionally, milk products are soldcanned. Evaporated milk is milk that has had about 60% of its water removed,homogenized, and is then quickly canned. This can be substituted for standardwhole milk by merely adding an amount of water equivalent to the amount ofevaporated milk in the can (similar to preparing condensed soups). Milk soldin this form is not necessarily cheaper than buying refrigerated milk, but itlasts infinitely longer.

* Fats and Oils. There are numerous items that fall under this heading, we'llgo over them individually. Any one of these will do as a cooking oil, butthere are certain situations that will call for specific fats or oils. Also,fats are not evil, despite what some nutritionists would like you to believe.Fats are essential to daily life, because they provide the fuel we burn everyday in our lives. It's important to regulate fat, but some fat is necessary.Additionally, fats impart an enormous amount of flavor and richness to ourfoods, and to be truly honest, provides some of the greatest flavors! Beselective about the fats you eat, and eat in moderation, but enjoy it! o Butter. Butter is a saturated fat that is at least 80% butterfat, byUSDA standards. It is truly the "original" cooking fat. Butter is sold insticks, in tubs as a whipped spread, and in granular form. Note that granularbutter is quite hard to find, but it is a convenient form. It is sold insalted and unsalted varieties, and the salted variety has a bit of a bite toit whereas unsalted butter will taste sweet. If you're baking, don't usewhipped butter - it'll change the texture of the food because of the airbeaten into the butter. o Margarine. Nowadays, the term margarine means a lot of things, but thereal definition of margarine is this: It's an unsaturated butter substitute -also made of at least 80% fat, except that the fat is made from vegetableoils. To make it taste like butter, some dairy flavorings are added to give itan authentic taste. This stuff works in baking as well, and is sold in stickor tub form. o Cooking Sprays. Most frequently made of canola oil, this is also calleda "non-stick cooking spray." This is used most frequently to keep foods fromsticking to surfaces during cooking. Some varieties are flavored, and can beused directly on food to impart a burst of other flavors. o Olive Oil. Probably the most famous of the oils (with the exception ofvegetable oil) this oil is used frequently in Italian cooking. Made frompitted ripe olives, the olives are ground into a mash, spread on mats that arestacked several layers high, and then pressed to remove the oils. The firstpressing is done cold, with no heat or solvents to help draw out oils. Thefirst press yields a dark, greenish, and highly flavorful oil called "extravirgin" olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil will not stand up to high heat, andis not well-suited for deep frying. The second press involves heat andsolvents to draw out additional oils, and yields "virgin olive oil." Virginoil is the traditional golden color. Subsequent pressings yield lighter, lessflavorful oils, and are often termed "light olive oil." Olive oil is a superboil that brings a wonderful flavor to anything it is cooked with. Olive oilhas polyunsaturated fats and is high in monounsaturated fats, which, alongwith having zero cholesterol, and its wonderful flavor, makes olive oil abetter cooking oil than most. o Vegetable Oil. There are numerous varieties of this, involving anythingfrom cottonseed oils, safflower oils, soybean oils, and numerous others, andthis is the most common and one of the most inexpensive cooking oils. A palegold in color, vegetable oil also has no cholesterol, and has very littlesaturated fat when compared with some other oils. o Canola Oil. Canola oil is the most health-conscious oil available.Canola oil is high in polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, hasextremely low saturated fat and no cholesterol. Canola also has a significantportion of its makeup devoted to alpha-linolenic acid, which is an Omega-3fatty acid. This is an excellent frying oil, because canola oil will impart asimilar flavor in fried foods (similar to vegetable oil), along with verylittle of the saturated fat. o Other Oils. Other oils and fats used in cooking include things likelard, beef tallow, palm oil, and coconut oil. Lard is solid fat rendered frompork, and is slightly soft in nature. Beef tallow is a fatty substance that isan extract from cattle's fat, and is often used in the making of candles andsoap, but is also occasionally used as a cooking fat. Palm and coconut oilsare just that, oils pressed from palm leaves and coconut fruit, and are two ofthe most flavorful oils, but also the two vegetable oils that are the highestin saturated fats. Coconut oil is the highest in saturated fat overall, with91% of its makeup being saturated fat. o Reduced-calorie or low-fat butter and margarine. These particularproducts have water and air added and contain no more than 60 percent fat.These don't have enough fat in them to be suitable for baking, so only usethese as table spreads. o Shortening. These are vegetable oils that are hydrogenated to changetheir melting point so that they remain solid at room temperature. Shorteningis also another word for "grease," and the two terms are interchangeable."Greasing" a pan involves taking a handful of shortening and rubbing it acrossa baking surface to prevent the baked items from sticking to the pan and tohelp the food remain flaky and tender. o Vegetable-Oil spreads. These are margarine-like products that have lessthan 80% fat. These are also frequently labeled as vegetable-oil spreads andnot margarine. These products are also quite versatile, getting use as a tablespread, cooking oil, and baking fat. Vegetable-oil spreads are sold in sticks,tubs, and squeeze bottles, and the sticks (if they have more than 65% fat) aresuitable for use in baking applications.

* Pastas. Pastas are also of the "long-life" variety, and these are excellentstarch sources. Pastas will not only fill you quickly, but keep you going longtoo, and, given time, will blend well with whatever flavors you choose to mixwith them. Several types of pastas are available, in a wide range of prices,but most varieties are under or about $1 for a 16oz box. 16 ounces of pasta isabout 8 servings (5-6 if you eat heavy) and provides a full dose ofcarbohydrates, in addition to whatever nutrients were added through benefit ofyour sauces. The only drawback to pastas is that they must be cooked inboiling water; microwaves are often ill-suited for this. It can be done, butit's messy. We'll get into how to prepare pasta in a microwave later.

* Peanut Butter. Every college student should invest in at least one jar ofpeanut butter. It's raw protein, practically, and when you can't afford awhole lot of meat, peanut butter is an excellent way to get protein withoutthe prohibitively high (sometimes) cost of meat.

* Rice. Rice is another member of the grain family, which is also a greatstaple food. Rice is available in numerous forms and flavors, and is anexcellent way to fill up. Rice blends are also good to have as well, and arefrequently low in calories. Rice blends often have a little more flavor thanplain rice, and are good complimentary dishes.

* Soups. Soups are another important staple food, and the condensed ones arecheap. Every college student has had experiences with ramen noodles -available for 10-15c at your local grocery. Dime noodles are not the way tofor anyone to eat on a consistent basis. Good, hearty soups can be found foras little as 69c, and even the Campbell's brands can be had for as little as85c. Soups are also good ways to get servings from other food groups. Neverquite outgrew hating to eat your veggies? Eat vegetable soup. A fully preparedcondensed can can have two servings of veggies.

* Vinegar. Vinegar is a good all-purpose sauce base - it's used to makeeverything from salad dressings to barbecue sauces, and adds a tartness toanything it's combined with. Vinegar emulsifies with oils well too, and thisis how Italian dressing works.

* Wax Paper. This is an excellent way to store frozen foods and help preventfreezer burn. Freezer burn is where the moisture leaches out of food becausethe water in the food expands as it freezes. Wax paper can help prevent thismoisture from coming out by covering the food.

* White Sugar. This one's kind of obvious. When you keep sugar stored, don'tstore it in its original packaging unless you haven't opened it yet. Anunopened 4-lb. bag of sugar is okay, but if you've opened it to start usingit, put it in a resealable container of some sort. This'll also help to keepthe sugar from clumping.

* Ziploc(tm) bags, or an equivalent. Make sure that these are the freezer-typebags, because if you buy for just yourself, and you buy meat, you'll likely befreezing things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Basic Techniques Most people don't know it, but the list of "techniques" you need to knowto cook effectively is really quite short. Several techniques are really quitesimilar, and others are really obvious, so while we'll mention everything, noteverything will have a huge explanation of what it is. The more complex oresoteric processes we'll cover in the next chapter.

* Bake. Cooking in an oven using dry heat. To have crispness in the food youbake, bake it uncovered. To retain moisture, bake things covered.* Baste. Pretty simple - spooning liquid over the top of cooking food to keepit moist.* Beat. This is different from stirring in that you use an implement like awhisk, and usually involves two or more ingredients that need to be mixeduntil the whole is a uniform texture.* Blanch. Dropping food into boiling water for a very short time in order topreserve color, texture, and nutritive elements, or a technique to remove skinon vegetables, fruits, or nuts.* Blend. Combining ingredients using a spoon, whisk, or similar tool until themixture is smooth and uniform. This may also involve a blender or foodprocessor.* Boil. This should be pretty obvious. A rolling boil is when the liquid hasbecome so hot that the bubbles form quickly.* Braise. Cooking food (usually meat or veggies) by initially browning them infat or oil, then adding some liquid to the pot, and cooking, covered, at a lowtemperature.* Broil. Cooking directly under or above an extremely hot element. * Brown. This is cooking quickly over high heat for a short time, so that thesurface of the food turns brown.* Caramelize. This means one of two things: melting sugar over low heat untilit turns into a golden brown syrup, or a technique for cooking vegetables,especially onions, until golden brown. When onions are caramelized, theytypically turn clear. * Chop. Cutting a food into coarse, irregular pieces. * Core. Technique by which the center of a fruit is removed. A core is muchmore stiff and generally contains seeds. * Cut in. This is a technique to distribute solidified fats (such asshortening) into dry ingredients by crisscrossing two knives, using the sideof a table fork, a wire whisk, or cutting with a pastry blender in a rollingmotion. You "cut" the mixture until the pieces reach your desired size. * Cube. Chopping food into squares 1/2 inch in size or larger.* Dash. Less than Jth of a teaspoon of a particular ingredient. * Deglaze. This is a process by which fats and bits of food that are stuck toa frying pan are removed using a small amount of liquid. Popular deglazingliquids include broths or stocks, wine, and strong liquors, such as whiskey orrum.(X): Deglazing with alcohols is mildly dangerous. If you deglaze with alcohols,remove the pan from the heat first, pour the alcohol in, and then replace thepan on the burner. Stand back as you do so, because the pan will flare up.Singing off your eyebrows isn't a fun thing.* Drizzle. This involves taking a sauce or topping of some sort and pouringthin lines of that sauce all over a particular food.* Flake. This involves using the tines of a fork to break away small pieces offood, for example, cooked fish.* Flute. This involves squeezing the edge of a pastry with your fingers tomake a finished, ornamental-looking edge. The resulting pattern should looklike a sine-wave, which is the typical shape for the edge of a pie crust.* Fold. Folding a mixture involves taking a spatula and scooping along thebottom of the bowl, and "folding" the lower material over the top. Do this inquadrants - in other words, fold 1/4 of the mixture, turn the bowl a quarterturn, repeat. Continue just until the mixture is blended. The purpose is tocombine without loss of air.* Grease, or Grease and Flour. Greasing a pan involves taking shortening andrubbing it along the surfaces of a baking pan to keep the food from stickingto the pan. Flouring it involves throwing a small amount of flour over thegreased pan, shaking the pan to distribute the flour, then inverting the panand patting off the excess flour by tapping the bottom of the inverted pan. * Hull. Similar to coring, except that your remove the stem and leaves ofthings like strawberries. This can also be done to tomatoes, where the leavesand vine are removed along with the hard "divot" in the center of the tomato.* Julienne. Cut into thin, match-like strips, using a knife or food processor.Good example: French fries.* Knead. Work dough on a floured surface until it becomes a smooth, elasticmass. Kneading helps develop the gluten in flour and will result ineven-textured breads, biscuits, and the like. Kneading by hand can take up to15 minutes. * Marinate. Allow a food to stand (usually refrigerated) in a highly flavorfulbroth or sauce to add flavor or to tenderize. Many marinades have vinegar inthem to help tenderize the meat by dissolving connective tissue in the meat. * Mince. Chop into very fine pieces, almost like confetti.* Poach. Cook a food in a simmering liquid just below the boiling point.* Puree. Mash or blend food until it becomes smooth and uniform inconsistency, either by using a blender or food processor to get it to thecorrect texture or by forcing the food through a sieve. The latter techniqueinvolves quite a bit of elbow grease depending on the food you're trying topuree. * Reduce. Boil away water in a particular liquid mixture to concentrate itsflavor. Over-reduction can easily be fixed by merely adding a little water tothin the sauce out.* SautŽ. This involves cooking a piece of food in hot fat over medium-highheat, turning the food frequently to prevent burning. * Scald. Heat liquid to just below the boiling point. Tiny bubbles will formaround the edge of the liquid when it is scalding. Scalded milk will develop athin film over its top.* Score. Cut into the skin of a food about 1/4 inch deep, using a knife, to aidin cooking, flavoring, or tenderizing.* Sear. Brown meat quickly so as to lock in juices and flavors.* Simmer. Cook in liquid just below the boiling point. Usually you do thisafter reducing the heat from a boil. * Skim. This is a technique by which solidified fats are removed from broth,stock, or similar liquid food by using a skimmer, spoon, ladle, or spatula. * Soft or Stiff Peaks. Beaten egg whites tend to harden as they are beaten.Soft peaks is when, as the mixer is lifted from the bowl, the egg whites leave"peaks" that curl over or are rounded. Stiff peaks is when the whites standstraight up as the mixer is pulled from the bowl.* Soften. This involves taking a food that is a solid in the fridge andallowing it to come to room temperature or very lightly microwaving it, sothat it is no longer stiff.* Whip. This involves beating air into a mixture so as to increase its volume;this also makes the mixture light and fluffy. * Zest. This is really two things. It is either the outer peel of a fruit,where much of the aromatic oils and flavors of the fruit are present, or usinga knife or citrus zester to remove this outer layer in thin pieces.

Okay: ON TO THE KITCHEN!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Basics When I speak of the basics, I mean something that's so simple and takenfor granted, that a kid could do it, but they don't know that it even exists.I'm talking things like how to cook a steak, or how to cook eggs, or how tomake a roux, or even making stocks. Much of this is so simple that once youlook at it, it'll be like, "Gee, I knew how to do that, but I didn't know howto do it!"

How to make stocksfrom the basis-of-nearly-everything dept.Y I E L D: about a gallon of stock(i): Stock is a fancy word for "broth." You'll find that these two terms arereally interchangeable. Stock is used in everything from soups to gravies tosauces to marinades. The simplest form of soup is merely stock with a littlesalt added.

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED:1 large pot, 8-qt. or more. (large pots are referred to as stockpots for areason)1 large spoon

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:at least 1 lb. any kind of meat, bones, scraps, and trimmings. Seebelow for ingredients dependent on the kind of meat you have. water, enough to cover the meat1 cp wine (use red for beef, veal, lamb, or pork, white for chicken, fish, or ham)1 tsp per lb salt

OTHER INGREDIENTS:Depending on the kind of meat you use, other ingredients can be added to thestock.All these are general guidelines, you'll have to try it yourself to get theflavor balance you like. FOR CHICKEN:1 large onion, coarsely chopped parsley with stems3 stalks celery, cut into segments1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:1. If you're making beef stock from meat, brown the beef lightly first in thepot. Otherwise, just place the meat or bones into your pot. If you have achicken, make sure you've removed and discarded the giblets and neck. (usuallythese are inside a little pouch in the cavity of the bird, if it came withgiblets.)2. Fill the pot with just enough water to cover the meat completely add thewine, cover, and bring it all to a boil. 3. Reduce heat to low, and add the rest. 4. Simmer, covered, for at least 3 hours, more if you can. You can't reallyovercook this stuff. The longer you cook the stock, the more concentrated itwill become. If you're using bones, allow it to simmer for about 3-4 hours. Asfor stewing chickens, put it on for 2 hours per pound. 5. Once it's been boiled to death, take the meat or bones out of the pot(slowly - you don't want to burn yourself or spill the stock) and set it asideon a cutting board or plate or whatever. If you used a chicken, make sure thatthe cavity of the bird is emptied as well. Remove the stock from the heat, andplace the pot in the fridge.6. If you used soup bones, remove what meat may have been on the bones anddiscard the bones. If you used a chicken, remove the meat from the bones -this is a long and tedious process, so it'll be awhile. If you used bonelessmeat, you can cut the meat into pieces and use it in soups, stews, etc.,

(i): Beef soup bones make superb stock, because the marrow leaches out of thebones and dissolves into the water - the marrow is some of the most flavorfulmaterial. Best of all, soup bones are cheap (usually less than $2/lb.).

How To Cook a Steakfrom the choose-a-cow dept.

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED: broiler pan, frying pan, or barbecue grill, depending on how you want tocook it, see below.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED: a steak of about 1/2" thickness (panfrying only), or 3/4-1" thick (for panfrying, broiling, or grilling) salt or meat tenderizer (not both!) if you bought a cheap or tough cut

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BROILING:1. Set your steak out on a cutting board. If it's got fat around the edges,use a knife to cut diagonal slits in the fat layer on the meat at about 1-inchintervals. This will keep the meat from shrinking up on you. Make sure thatwhen you do this, that you don't cut into the meat - only the fat. 2. If you have a tough cut of meat, like a blade, plate, or skirt steak, dustboth sides with tenderizer liberally and pierce the meat with a fork allacross the surface to push the tenderizer down into the meat. If you have totenderize the meat, do not salt it before you cook it. Otherwise, sprinklesalt over both sides of the meat.3. Set your oven to broil. Wait until the oven comes up to the highesttemperature on the dial (check by using an oven thermometer or by turning thedial back to the highest gradation on your oven. When the "oven on" light goesout it's up to temperature). Place the meat on the broiler pan and put the panin the oven, following the chart below. Make sure you turn the steak over onyour broiler pan after about half the listed time has elapsed. To check asteak for doneness, cut a small slit in it at its center for boneless cuts, orin the center near the bone for bone-in cuts. Medium-rare is very pink and hasa slightly brown edge. Medium is light pink in the center and is more browntoward the edges. Medium-well is mostly brown, and has a very dull pinkcenter. Well-done is brown all the way through. Anything further is charcoal.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR GRILLING:1. If you are using charcoal (recommended), arrange the briquettes in apyramid shape. This particular shape allows air to circulate freely in andaround the briquettes, and we all know that fire loves air. Either an electriccoil starter or a liquid fire starter will help make starting the fire easier.

(X): BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL with liquid fire starter. You don't want to use toomuch, or your grill may go boom when you throw the match in.2. The coals are ready when they're more than I covered in ash. If it's dark,look for an even red glow. If it's bright red, the fire's too hot, if there'sno glow, it's too cool, and if you have a mix of red and black, it's unevenand will not cook food evenly.3. Check the temperature of the coals by holding the palm of your hand near tothe grill rack - if you can keep your hand there for two seconds, thetemperature is high, three seconds is medium-high, four seconds is medium, andfive seconds is low. 4. To cook the steaks, you want medium heat. This should take about 40 minuteswith a charcoal grill or 10 minutes with a gas grill. 5. Score the edges of the fat as described in the Broiling instructions above.Salt or tenderize it as above. 6. Place the steak on the grill. Turn the steak and cook until it reaches thedesired level of doneness. Check the steak using the same procedure asdescribed in the Broiling instructions above.

GRILLING:Grill at the same distances for broiling.Porterhouse/T-Bone: 14 mins. for MR, 19 for Med.Ribeye: 7 mins. for MR, 12 for Med.Sirloin: 12 mins. for MR, 16 for Med.Tenderloin: 11 mins. for MR, 13 for med.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PANFRYING:1. If your steak doesn't have a whole lot of fat on it, coat your skillet witha little vegetable oil or a spritz of cooking spray. Or, use a nonstickskillet.2. If the steak is more than 1/2 inch thick, use medium-low to medium heat. Forsteaks that are thinner, use medium-high. 3. Place the steak in the skillet. Do not add water or oil, and do not coverit. Cook according to the chart below. If the steak has a lot of fat on it itwill render off into the pan - as it does, spoon the extra fat off into abowl. For steaks thicker than 1/2 inch thick, turn them occasionally, for 1/2 inchor thinner steaks, turn once, until brown on both sides and until they reachthe doneness desired. Check doneness using the guidelines in the Broilingsection, above.

How to cook eggs (look below for the kind you want)from the which-came-first dept.(i): Eggshells are porous, which means that the eggs inside will absorb odorsfrom the outside air. Keep your eggs in their carton, which protects the eggsfrom outside odors. Also, eggshell colors depend largely on the diet of thehen and have no effect on the flavor, nutritive value or way the egg cooks.

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED:FOR COOKED EGGS:1 saucepan, at least 3" deep

FOR FRIED OR SCRAMBLED EGGS:1 skillet

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:FOR COOKED EGGS: water

FOR FRIED OR SCRAMBLED EGGS: margarine salt and pepper1 tbsp milk or half & half for each egg (scrambled eggs only and only ifyou like them creamy)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR HARD-COOKED EGGS:1. Place eggs in the saucepan. Add enough cold water so that its surface is atleast one inch above the eggs.2. Heat, uncovered, to boiling over high heat.3. Remove from heat, allow to stand 18 minutes.4. IMMEDIATELY pour off hot water, run cold water over the eggs to halt thecooking process. 5. Crack the shell on the countertop, then roll the egg between your hands toloosen the shell. Peel the shell away. If it's hard to peel off, run coldwater over the egg while you peel it.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SOFT-COOKED EGGS:1. Cook as for hard cooked eggs, above, but after bringing to a boil, removeand let stand only 3 minutes.2. Pour off hot water, run cold water over eggs to stop the cooking process.3. Cut eggs lengthwise in half, scoop eggs from their shells.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FRIED SUNNY-SIDE-UP EGGS:1. Heat enough margarine or butter so that it forms a layer 1/8 inch deep in aheavy skillet over medium heat until it starts to sizzle. Break each egg intoa small saucer, and ensure that no shell pieces are inside the egg. If thereare, fish them out with a fork and discard. 2. Slip the eggs carefully into the skillet, and immediately roll the heatback to low. The eggs should continue to sizzle, if they stop, increase theheat a tad.3. Cook, uncovered, 5 to 7 minutes, spooning the margarine over the eggs untilthe whites become firm, a film forms over the yolks and the yolks thicken.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OVER-EASY EGGS:1. Follow the directions for Sunny-Side-Up eggs as above, but after cooking 3minutes, use a wide spatula to flip the eggs over carefully and cook another 1to 2 minutes or until the yolks thicken.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SCRAMBLED EGGS:1. Beat eggs and milk together in a bowl until well mixed. Add salt andpepper, mix. Melt about 1 tbsp of margarine for every 3 eggs in a skilletuntil the margarine begins to sizzle. 2. Pour the mixture into the skillet. The bottom and sides will solidifyquickly, as this happens, use a spatula to fold over the solid parts onto theliquid so that the liquid flows to the bottom so that it can cook. Avoidconstant stirring, but continue to lift up the thicker portions so that thethin uncooked material can flow to the bottom and cook.3. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes or until the eggs have thickened throughout butare still moist and creamy.

How to Cook Pork Chopsfrom the oink-oink dept.

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED: broiler pan, frying pan, or barbecue grill

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED: pork chops, with or without bones

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BROILING OR GRILLING:1. Set your oven's control to broil or preheat your grill. If you're grilling,heat the grill to medium heat, which will take about 40 minutes with acharcoal grill or 10 minutes for a gas grill.2. For broiling, set the pork chops on your broiler pan and place them about 3to 4 inches from the heat. If you're grilling, set them directly on the rackabout 3 to 4 inches from the heat.3. Broil or grill pork chops as directed below. Turn them once at abouthalfway through the listed time.4. For loin or rib chops with bones in, broil 8 to 11 minutes, or grill 6 to 8minutes for 3/4 inch chops. For 1 1/2 inch chops, broil 19 to 22 minutes, or grill12 to 16 minutes.For boneless loin chops about 1 inch thick, broil 11 to 13 minutes, or grill 8to 10 minutes.For blade chops (blade chops always have bones) that are about 3/4 inch thick,broil 13 to 15 minutes or grill 11 to 13 minutes. For 1 1/2 inch chops, broil 26to 29 minutes or grill 19 to 22 minutes. Loin or rib chops should always be cooked to at least 160ûF. Blade chopsshould be cooked to at least 170ûF.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PANFRYING:1. If the chop doesn't have much fat on it, coat your pan with a little oil orcooking spray, or you can use a nonstick skillet.2. Preheat the skillet over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes.3. Place the chop in the skillet for the time listed below. Turn the chopsoccasionally, and if the chop has a lot of fat on it, spoon some of it away asit renders off. Check doneness by cutting a small slit in the center ofboneless cuts or near the bone with bone-in cuts. Medium pork is slightly pinkin its center. Well-done pork has no pink in its center.4. Cook bone-in or boneless rib or loin chops that are 1/2 inch thick for 7 to8 minutes. For 1 inch thick bone-in chops, cook 12 to 14 minutes.Boneless loin chops that are 1 inch thick should be cooked for 10 to 12minutes.Blade chops do not fry well, so you should probably grill or broil these.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BROILING AND GRILLING:1. Try to choose whole breasts that weigh about 1/2 pound - you can cut these inhalf to make smaller 1/4 lb. patties. Trim the fat away from the breast halves,using kitchen shears or a knife. Beforehand, if you choose, you can marinatethe chicken. To do this, place your chicken in a plastic bag large enough toaccommodate everything. Pour enough marinade to thoroughly cover the meat intothe bag, close tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Halfway throughthis time, flip the bag over so that everything in the bag gets covered withthe marinade.2. If you're going to broil the chicken, move the rack so that the meat isfrom 4 to 6 inches from the element for boneless cuts, 7 to 9 inches forbone-in cuts. If you're going to grill, preheat the grill to medium heat,which should take about 40 minutes for a charcoal grill or 10 minutes for agas grill.3. Place the chicken on your broiler pan in the oven set to broil, or place iton the grill rack about 4 to 6 inches from the heat.4. If you're broiling, cook boneless halves 15-20 minutes turning once, 25-35minutes for bone-in cuts.5. If you're grilling, cook 15-20 minutes for boneless halves, turningfrequently, or 20-25 minutes for bone-in cuts.6. Check doneness by cutting the center of the thickest piece of meat open. Ifits juices no longer run pink, the chicken's done. Another way to tell is byusing a meat thermometer - cook chicken to 180ûF.

How To Make a Roux (pronounced "roo")from the roux-is-to-sauce-as-CPU-is-to-motherboard dept.

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED: skillet or heavy pot

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:1 part oil or shortening. This can be nearly anything, like bacondrippings, lard, olive oil, etc.2 to 3 parts all-purpose flour, depending on how thick you want it. Themore flour, the thicker the roux.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Mix the flour and oil in your skillet or pot.2. Cook on medium heat slowly as the roux changes from a cream color to a darkchocolate color. Once the roux makes it past a medium brown, you need to stirit constantly to keep it from burning. 3. If you burn the roux, toss it, clean the pot, and start over. 4. It will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour to get the roux to a very darkcolor, while it may take only 15 minutes or less to make a light roux. Darkroux is great for gumbos, while a light roux is perfect for many white saucesand milk-based soups. 5. Once your roux is as dark as you like it, you can add all sorts of otherthings to the roux, like onions, chopped vegetables, peppers, etc. Note thatbell pepper and celery have a tendency to kill other flavors, so usesparingly. 6. Once the vegetables have cooked and the onions have turned clear, addthings like chopped parsley and green onions. You can add freshly choppedgarlic at this point too.

Variation: White RouxWhite roux is the base for many cream sauces and white sauces.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:1 part margarine, butter, or shortening2-3 parts all-purpose flour stock or other flavorings, like fruit juices, milk, or cream

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Heat the shortening over medium heat. Add flour, stir to mix.2. Cook, but do not allow it to get too brown. 3. Add the stock slowly to the mix, stirring all the while. Make sure thateverything incorporates.4. Bring the mixture to a boil, and stir until the mixture thickens. Season totaste.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Place ground beef in saucepan over medium heat. Break it up thoroughlyuntil it forms a layer on the bottom of the pan. Cook, covered, until meat isbrowned throughout and no pink remains in meat.2. While the meat's cooking, saute the onions and garlic over low heat, in theolive oil. Cook about five minutes or until the onions begin to turn clear. 3. Remove both meat and veggies from heat, drain away the grease on the meat.(Use the lid as a shield to stop the meat from falling down the drain if youdon't have a strainer or colander.)4. Turn heat down to low, put saucepan back on heat. Dump tomato sauce, tomatopaste, and the chili seasoning into the pot. If you can't find chili seasoningthat's fully blended, use about the same amount of chili powder combined with1/2 tsp of cumin seed and 1 tsp of ground oregano. Stir vigorously until wellblended. Mixture should look chunky.5. Throw in sauteed onions and garlic, bell pepper, creole seasoning, cayenne,oregano, and onion powder until the mixture reaches desired spiciness. Tastefrequently as you cook. 6. Let simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Remove from heat and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:1 box Kraft Macaroni & Cheese1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup1 can chunk light tuna, in spring water, drained1/4 cp butter (more if you like it sweeter)1/2 cp milk (more if you like it creamier) crushed potato chips (Ruffles work best)

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Preheat oven to 350ûF (175ûC). While you're waiting, boil and drain thenoodles, but do not rinse them.2. Mix in the cheese powder, milk, butter, tuna, and soup with the noodles andpour into a casserole dish. Make a layer over the top with the crushed potatochips. 3. Bake uncovered in the 350ûF (175ûC) oven 30-45 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Mix flour and egg white to form a batter.2. Open up the can of chiles, and use a knife to split one side of them openso you can pull the sides apart. Stuff a stick of cheese inside the chile.Reclose.3. Dip the chiles in the batter, then fry in a pan until golden brown and thecheese is melted.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Fill pan with water as directed. Add the 2 bouillon cubes to the water,bring to a boil.2. Crack open the two eggs into one of your bowls (make sure that no shellpieces get in it), and the cornstarch into another bowl. 3. Add a little bit of water to the corn starch and mix it until it looksmilky.4. Beat the eggs. The more you mix them, the smaller the "strings" of eggwhite will be. 5. Once the water is boiling and the bouillon cubes are dissolved, add the eggand corn starch at the same time to the water. Back the heat down to medium.6. Stir constantly so you don't overcook the eggs. Make sure you don't splashthe mixture!7. Continue to stir over medium heat a few minutes. If it starts to froth up,lift the pot off the burner for a few seconds, and the froth will recede. 8. Once the eggs are done, remove from heat and add salt to taste.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Rev. Simon Rumble's Kangaroo w/Beetroot & Parsnip Crispsfrom the what-the-heck-did-I-get-myself-into dept.Y I E L D: 4 servings.(i): For our U.S. viewers, kangaroo isn't one of those meats you're likely tofind in your average butcher shop. So, to help, www.exoticmeats.com is a shopin Seattle that will sell you kangaroo meat. For the folks in the UK, HullGame (www.hullgame.co.uk) is a good supplier of kangaroo in the UK that'slocated in Lincolnshire.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Bring the beetroots, vinegar, and sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Reduceheat; simmer 30 minutes.2. Remove the beets, and separate about 100ml of the "stock." Keep the beetswarm by setting an oven to its lowest temperature setting (175ûF or 80ûC willdo; if your oven goes lower, set it to its lowest setting)3. Peel the beets and julienne them.4. Peel the parsnip. Using the potato peeler, slice off strips as if peeling apotato. This is going to become your garnish.5. Heat the frying oil and fry the parsnip pieces until golden brown.(X): Be extremely careful with the hot oil! Oil will catch fire if it gets toohot. The oil is becoming too hot if you see it start to smoke and you don'thave anything in it. If you have one, you might also use a candy thermometerto check the oil temperature. Don't let vegetable oil get too far above 400ûF(205ûC). 6. Heat the skillet or the barbecue up. Brush the roo steaks with olive oil.Sear the steaks on a medium-high heat until medium-rare, rare, or bleu for theblood-lovers :)(X): Kangaroo meat will turn to leather if you cook it any more than medium rareso you probably won't want your well-done friends around.7. To serve, put the beets on the plate in an overlapping circular pattern.Place a roo steak in the center and pour over the sauce made from the beets.Scatter the parsnip crisps in a small pile on the top to create a littletower. 8. Serve with a green salad and mashed potatoes.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and make a well in themiddle. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.2. Pour into a large, greased casserole dish.3. Mix the extra cocoa powder and brown sugar together and sprinkle evenlyover the pudding mixture. Pour boiling water over evenly and gently.4. Bake at 180ûC (350ûF) 45 minutes. A sauce will form at the bottom of thepudding.5. Serve hot, with cream or ice cream.

Variation:Add fresh or canned raspberries, blueberries, or other fruit to the puddingmixture before baking. For that extra chocolaty flavor, try adding chocolatemorsels.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Brown hamburger meat in pot on stove set to high heat, breaking it intosmall chunks. Drain fat. 2. Return the meat to the pot, add remainder of ingredients. Fill the largertomato sauce can with water and add to the pot. Stir well. Reduce heat tomedium and return the pot to the stove, cover.3. Simmer, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If needed you can keep itwarm by setting the range top to its lowest heat setting.4. Crank up the spice by adding more chili powder, or add more volume byadding more beans if you desire.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Spread all the above ingredients in layers in the order of the list above,inside a 9-10" pie plate. Toss into the fridge, let chill. Once cold, serve itup with your favorite chips and beverage.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Put the chili in the bowl and heat in the microwave according to packagedirections. 2. Remove from the microwave, and stir in about 1/2 the cheese. Microwave onHIGH again about 30 seconds.3. Remove, add the remaining cheese, nuke again for 30 seconds. Remove, let itcool a bit, and enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~InspectorPraline's Cajun Cornish Henfrom the worth-waiting-for dept.Y I E L D: Serves 1. For the lighter eater, this may make two meals.Cook Time: 1hr 20 mins(i): Cornish hens are smaller, single-serving hens that are perfect for asingle-person dinner. Most cornish hens weigh anywhere from 18 to 24 ounces,and some come with giblets. Try to get the kind with the giblets removed forthis recipe, as most people just throw the giblets away.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Provided you've thawed the chicken (if you haven't, place the bird in acold-water bath for 2-3 hrs.): Preheat the oven to 350ûF (175ûC). Unwrap thebird and ensure that the bird's had all of the feathers removed. Occasionallyyou may find a feather or two still on the bird, just pluck them off with yourfingers. Thoroughly rinse the bird under cold running water, and pat dry withpaper towels. 2. Place the bird breast-side up on your cutting board. Pat the surface withthe cajun seasoning, on both sides of the bird. Make sure all exposed skin iscovered. Don't worry about the cavity of the bird.3. Melt the 1/3 cup of butter. Place the bird in the casserole dish, and slowlypour the butter over the top of the bird. If the seasoning washes off into thebutter, that's okay, just sprinkle a little extra over the uncovered parts ofthe bird.4. Place the bird in the oven, uncovered. Bake at 350ûF for 1 hr 20 mins,using the turkey baster to baste the bird with the butter about every 10-15minutes. The surface of the bird should be crisp when done.5. Upon removing the bird from the oven, set the bird on a plate and let restfive minutes. Enjoy!

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Cream the margarine and sugar together in a bowl until smooth. 2. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.3. In a second bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this to thecreamed mixture along with the buttermilk.4. Take the rhubarb and chop it into about 1/2" pieces. Toss the pieces with 1tbsp flour, then add into the batter mix. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13pan, spreading evenly.5. For the topping, blend together all the ingredients, and sprinkle evenlyover the batter. 6. Take the whole mess and put in in a 350ûF (175ûC) oven 45 mins, or untilthe cake comes away from the edge of the pan and a toothpick inserted into thecenter of the cake comes out clean.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. If you're adding meat, cook it throughout and drain the fat.2. Mix everything together (don't drain the cans) and heat thoroughly on astove or in a crock pot. On the stove, heat it to a slow boil, reduce heat,and let cook at least 30 minutes, but not more than 3-4 hrs, or else thetomatoes break down too much and you'll lose the texture. If you cook in acrockpot, put it in on low for about 3 hours, or if you want it fast, cook iton high for 1 hour and then switch to low. The longer it cooks, the better itgets - and it tastes even better the second day. This stuff also freezes well- you can make up extra and freeze it for a quick snack - just toss it in themicrowave!

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Cut the chicken into thin strips. Place it into the ziploc bag and pour theitalian dressing over the top of the chicken. Close the bag, and as you do,squeeze out as much air as you can without spilling dressing all over theplace. Toss it in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Go code for a bit. Remember toturn the meat over in the fridge about halfway through the marinating time.2. When the chicken is about finished marinating, cut the peppers and onionsinto strips, set these aside. 3. Take the chicken out of the fridge and dump the whole thing into a skilletand cook thoroughly. You should have plenty of liquid to cook with. If not,add a tiny amount of olive oil to the pan to help the chicken cook. Be carefulwhen you do.4. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate. Put theslices of pepper and onion right into the skillet and cook until they softenup. If you added oil during the previous step, do not do so here.5. Warm the soft tortillas up in the microwave, and pile on the chicken,peppers, and onions. Add salsa or fat-free sour cream if you so desire.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Make the crusts if you didn't buy premade ones. If you bought the premadekind, check the label - they should tell you how to crisp them up by bakingthem alone for a few moments.2. Heat the peanut butter, about 40 seconds in the microwave.3. Pour 1 to 1 1/2 cp of the peanut butter into each pie crust. Use the back ofa spoon or spatula to spread it around and coat the inside of the pie crust(this includes the side walls).4. Prepare 1 batch of pudding according to the package directions for piefilling. Pour about 1/3 of the pudding into the crust over the peanut butter.5. Take one banana's worth of slices and distribute them evenly in a layeracross the top of the pudding.6. Add the second third of pudding, add another layer of banana slices, thendump the remainder of the pudding on top.7. If you want, add another layer of bananas on top of the pie. Repeat steps4-7 for the second pie.8. Put the whole pie in the fridge and let the pudding set up. Should takeonly about 5-10 minutes. Serve with whipped cream on top, and grated chocolateshavings or sprinkles.(X): The graham cracker crusts and the aluminum pans don't have a whole lot ofstructural strength and if you don't handle them carefully the pie will foldup on you. The easiest way to do it is to use a plate to carry the piesaround.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Steff's Gimletfrom the five-drink-maximum dept.(i): Steff writes: "Include a credit to Raymond Chandler - I first saw the drinkdescribed in one of his novels."

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Place the ice in the glass. Add the gin and lime juice. Agitate gently toensure that they mix, but be careful not to mix it too much so that the icestarts to dilute the drink.(X): The author suggests that you not drink any more than 5 of these in a24-hour period. Really.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Remove the chicken from its wrapping and cut the breasts into pieces aboutas big as chicken McNuggets. Remember to cut the tough piece of cartilage offthe end of the breast (it's a big white hunk).2. Pour the flour into the ziploc bag, and throw the chicken in with it. Closethe bag and shake like crazy to thoroughly cover the chicken.3. In the pot, pour the entire bottle of pepper sauce into the pot, and placethe 1/2 stick of butter into the pot. Melt the butter over medium-low heat intothe pepper sauce. Cover it and let it cook for a moment. Keep an eye on this,though: don't let it boil. Bubbling a little bit is ok, but if it begins toboil, lower the heat.4. While the sauce is heating, take your frying pan and start to heat 1/2 cpvegetable oil in it over medium-high heat. If you're using a deep fryer,preheat the fryer to 350ûF (175ûC). 5. If you're frying in a pan, you can test the oil by sprinkling a tiny bit offlour into it. When it sizzles, it's hot enough. Open your bag of chicken andadd the pieces of chicken one at a time into the oil until your frying pan orthe fryer's basket is full. If frying in a pan, place the pieces about 1/2 inchapart, and flip the pieces over after about 5 minutes. If you're deep frying,this should take about 4H minutes. Make sure you shake the basket so that noneof the chicken sticks together.6. Once the chicken has browned, cut a piece open to ensure that it is done -you should see no pink in the meat - it should be white all the way through. 7. Once it's cooked, transfer it to the pot with the sauce in it forsafe-keeping. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for any remaining chicken in the bag. Youcan use additional oil to replenish the frying pan if you need to. If you'reusing a deep fryer, do not add oil. As the chicken cooks, add it to thesaucepan.8. Once all the chicken is cooked, put the cover on the pan (it should nowhave all the chicken, the sauce, and butter in it). Hold the cover on tight,pull the pot from the heat, and, being careful not to burn yourself or spillit, shake the pot to coat the chicken. Serve with ranch or bleu cheesedressing and celery sticks.

INSTRUCTIONS (as if you need it):1. Make the cereal like normal. Devour ravenously and quickly.2. Down the Pepsi quickly.3. Enjoy about 1 hr of caffeine buzz followed by 2 hrs of sugar high from thesugar plug you just took.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. In the skillet, brown the chicken until cooked.2. In the bowl or measuring cup, mix the water, salsa, and taco seasoningstogether.3. Add the salsa mixture to the skillet; bring to a boil.4. Stir in the rice, so that it covers the mixture.5. Reduce heat; simmer 10 mins. or until the rice absorbs the liquid.6. Spoon mixture over the tortillas. Add grated cheese, sour cream, orguacamole if desired. Enjoy!

INSTRUCTIONS:1. In the saucepan, bring the 3 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add thebouillon to the boiling water slowly, as it will foam up greatly when it isadded to the water. 2. Back the heat down to medium, and add the noodles and beef. Let cook 3minutes to soften the noodles.3. Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, vegetables, and spices. Stir thoroughly toincorporate all of it. 4. Add 1/4 cp additional water, and continue to boil, covered, 15 minutes,stirring occasionally.5. Remove from heat and enjoy, or refrigerate 48 hours if you want the flavorsto mingle further.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:2 large tomatoes1/2 large onion8-10 stalks fresh cilantro (i): Fresh cilantro can usually be found in the produce section of most supermarkets. juice of one lime OR one fresh lime2 large jalape–o peppers

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Remove the cores from the tomatoes. Do this by taking your paring knife andslicing into the top of the tomato at an angle, and cut a divot out of thetomato. This removes the tough part of the tomato where it was connected tothe vine. 2. Take the cilantro stalks and pull the leaves off. Set these on your cuttingboard with the tomato. Discard the stalks. Get your onion and peppers and putthem on the cutting board as well. 3. If you have a fresh lime, take your citrus juicer and put a bowl underneathit, if it doesn't already have one. Cut the lime in half, and press each halfof the lime over the top of the juicer. Discard the pieces.4. Dice your tomato, onions, and peppers. Mince the cilantro leaves. If youhave a food processor, you can use it to shred the leaves. 5. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Serve with nacho chips.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.2. While pasta is boiling, brown sausage, beef, onions, and garlic. Add salt &pepper to taste here. Drain fat.3. Add tomato sauce, diced tomato, and oregano to mixture. Simmer while pastacooks.4. When pasta is done, drain, toss with olive oil & oregano. 5. Spoon the sausage mixture over the top of a bed of pasta for each serving.

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED:1 3 qt. covered sautŽ pan(i): Note that this is different from a regular sautŽ pan. A covered sautŽ panhas a flat bottom but does not have curved walls like a skillet. It's kind oflike a stockpot that's had half its height taken away.(X): Make sure that the handle of the pan you use to do this with is a solidsteel handle - plastic handles will melt in the oven!

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Cut the two breasts each into two pieces. In the skillet, melt the butter,and brown the chicken thoroughly. Salt and pepper both sides as you fry them. 2. Preheat your oven to 325ûF (160ûC).3. Just before the chicken gets really browned, toss in the chopped onions andthe garlic. Continue to cook until the onion turns clear. Don't worry aboutgetting the chicken cooked all the way through - that happens later.4. Add the chicken broth (if you don't have any chicken broth, you can use aheaping tablespoon of bouillon and about 1/2 cp water), then the pint of cream,and the Worcestershire sauce. Stir the mixture until the liquid becomesuniform.5. Place a lid on the pan and carefully place it in your 325ûF oven. Allow tocook for 1 hour.6. About 20 minutes before the chicken is ready to come out of the oven,prepare the rice according to the box directions. It should take about 25minutes to complete.7. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a cool burner. Using a fork, pullthe individual pieces of chicken out of the sauce and set on plates.8. Take a large measuring cup or gravy boat and fill it with the sauce fromthe pan.(X): The pan will be EXTREMELY hot - be very careful!9. Pull the rice off the burner. Serve one breast half with a healthy servingof rice for each person, and serve the sauce in a measuring cup or gravy boat.Pour a goodly amount of sauce over the chicken and rice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Peter's South Indian Lamb Saagfrom the halfway-round-the-world dept.Y I E L D: Serves 2 to 3

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED: wok or another deep frying pan wok spoon or metal ladle rice cooker, or a saucepan for the rice

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:250g (1/2 lb) lamb meat, diced (you can substitute chicken if you so desire)200g (7 oz) spinach, coarsely chopped (frozen, canned or fresh, doesn't matter)200ml (6 3/4 oz) coconut milk1 jar Korma paste (i): Korma paste should be available in most international grocery stores or in the ethnic section of some local groceries. salt and pepper peanut oil (if you can't get peanut oil, olive oil is OK)1 bag boil-in-bag rice, or about 2 cp dry rice

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Begin to prepare rice according to box directions. Place a wok/skillet ontoa hot burner (medium-high heat) or wok ring, and put a little oil into the panand heat it until it begins to slowly evaporate. 2. Throw your lamb pieces into the wok, and agitate frequently to sear thelamb.3. Add about 2-3 tbsp. of your Korma paste. Stir frequently, making sure thatthe lamb is evenly coated.4. Add spinach, and stir until cooked and well integrated.5. Add coconut milk. Back the heat off to about medium-low and simmer it forabout 5 minutes or until the whole mixture thickens. 6. Add about a teaspoon of salt to the mix, then pepper to taste.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Place about 8 cp (about 1.9 L) water into a saucepan. Put this on thestove on high heat.2. Wash the peppers, cut in halves. Cut into pieces. Place into the water. 3. Get the chicken, and cut enough meat off to fill 4 soup bowls about halffull. 4. Place both cakes of ramen noodles in water, cook about 2 minutes. Put theseasoning packets into the water, and put in your chicken pieces. Give itabout 30 sec - 1 minute for the chicken to warm up. Mix well. Portion out into4 bowls and serve.

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Grind the paprika, black pepper, basil leaves, cayenne, and salt togetherin your grinder or mortar.2. Cook the hot links, and cut into small pieces.3. Start the omelette by first scrambling them as per the directions in "Howto Cook Eggs" in Chapter 4. Pour them into the skillet and start cooking them.

4. Add the spices to the eggs as they cook, while they are still liquid. Foldthe spices in.5. As the eggs begin to stiffen, add the ham, pastrami, cheese, and hot linksto the eggs and fold them into the mixture. Toast the two pieces of bread, and place the omelette between the bread andeat like a sandwich.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~SPICE GUIDE

The Kid In the Candy Store

Walking into a spice aisle can be a lot like being a kid in a candy store. Youknow you want something, but you don't have any earthly idea what it is. Here,I hope to give you a good idea of exactly what you would use, along with someof the more exotic things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~AllspiceAllspice is, despite its name, really only a single berry. It is typicallymade from the extract of the bayberry tree, which grows on the island ofJamaica. Its flavor is where it inherits its name, with allspice taking on theflavors of cinnamon, cloves, and a touch of nutmeg. It has a sweet but heavyflavor to it, and is very popular because of this. Frequent uses include usingthe whole allspice in stocks, fruit pickles, and baking with wild game. Groundallspice is found in spice cakes, puddings, cookies, gravies, and is anabsolute necessity in Caribbean jerk dishes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~AniseAnise is a frequent member in Mediterranean cooking, and is known for itspowerful licorice-like flavor. In ancient times, the Romans used the spice asa digestive aid, ending their great feasts with cakes made with anise. Aniseis popular in many cakes, breads, cookies, liquors, and candies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ArrowrootArrowroot is one of several spices that has a "true" and "less expensive"version - true arrowroot is known as maranatha root, a root that is cultivatedon the small island of St. Vincent in the West Indies. Typical store-boughtarrowroot is known as cassava root, which is a significantly less expensive version of a similar root, found in either Brazil or China. Arrowroot iscommon as a gravy or sauce thickener.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~AsafoetidaThis particular spice is drawn from a particular species of giant fennel.Asafoetida is one of numerous "love it or hate it" spices, almost exclusivelydue to its exceedingly overwhelming stench before it is cooked. Once cookedhowever, the smell dies away and produces a rather pleasant onion/garlicflavor blend. Asafoetida is a very popular component in Indian cooking, andgoes very well with vegetable dishes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~BasilBasil is an increasingly popular spice in America - primarily because basilcombined with garlic and tomatoes form a trio that is unmatched. Sprinkle somebasil leaves over tomato soup and you'll understand. When buying basil, youmay find that some of it is sold as domestic and some sold as imported.Domestic is generally the better buy and is a bit stronger, but some like theflavor of imported basil better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Balsamic VinegarBalsamic vinegar is a specialty-use item. Most store-bought balsamics arereally merely red wine vinegar with a little caramel added for color. Bottlesof balsamic vinegar made this way tend to run about $4-6. True balsamicvinegar is something significantly rarer and is made in a very time-consumingprocess - balsamic vinegars are aged in barrels much like wines, and the bestvinegars come out a minimum of 25 years later. Their consistency is much likemolasses, being very thick and syrupy. They are slightly sweet, and often comein multiple grades. For example, Cavalli balsamics are graded Red, Silver, andGold, with Red being aged 25 years, Silver being aged 50, and Gold being aged75 years. They are extremely expensive, with the oldest bottles costingupwards of $200 for a 3H fl. oz. bottle. Some "young" balsamics are only ageda few years, and are significantly cheaper as a result.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bay LeavesAgain, this bay leaves are another spice that are available in two versions.California bay leaves tend to have a significantly more powerful flavor thantheir Turkish brethren, and are excellent in tomato dishes, stews, picklingmixtures, fish dishes and chowders, and tomato dishes. The ancient Greeks usedto use bay to crown their victorious heroes. Bay adds a slight bitterness tothe dish it is mixed with, and is an excellent addition to sauces and stocks.However, the plant is derived from the laurel plant, whose leaves arepoisonous, so once you've cooked the flavor out of them, discard the leaves.The leaves themselves are mildly poisonous (can cause an upset stomach).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bouquet GarniLiterally, this is French for bouquet for garnish, and can literally mean justabout any group of fresh herbs tied together with string, cloaked incheesecloth, and tossed into a boiling pot of water to act like a tea bag madeof spices. However, bouquet garni tends to follow a pattern. A good pattern isbasil, marjoram, rosemary, cloves, thyme, oregano, parsley, etc. Be creative.Just about any fresh herb works well in a bouquet garni.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Caraway SeedsCaraway seed is a tangy seed hailing from Holland, and is a member of theparsley family. Caraway is known for giving rye bread its distinctive bite,and is a popular addition to rolls, cakes, and cheeses. They are also good incottage cheese, sauerkraut, and coleslaw. A variant, the black caraway seed,is sometimes known as charnushka.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~CardamomCardamom is one of those spices where there doesn't seem to be a word in theEnglish language that describes it. Yeah, you could be silly and say"cardamomy," but that would take all the fun out of it. Cardamom is verystrong but delicate, sweet but powerful, and has a freshness about it that isindescribable. Popular uses include pickling spice mixtures, as a coffeeflavoring, as a baking spice, and a savory spice for curry mixes. Other usesinclude poached fish, meat loaf, fish stews and sweet potatoes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Celery SeedThis spice is a popular one for use in pickling spice mixes, sauces, salads,salad dressings, coleslaw, potato salads, fish, and vegetables, and imparts aslight parsley-nutmeggy flavor to whatever it is added to. Also greatsprinkled on cheese, crackers, or rolls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ChervilReally a close relative of the parsley family, chervil is a somewhat sweeterversion of the same herb. Chervil is a common component in fines herbesblends, and is also popular in soups, sauces, salads, and poultry and fishstuffings. However, unlike its more common cousin, chervil does not like heatand can not take long periods of being cooked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chili PowderNot to be confused with chili pepper, chili powders typically are made ofground chiles, cumin, garlic, oregano, and other spices. Level of heat dependson where you buy it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chile PeppersThere are so many varieties of chile pepper that it would take another book todescribe them all. However, in a nutshell, the most popular variety of chilepepper is the cayenne, which is a slim red colored pepper named after an areaof South America known for its unbelievably hot peppers. Cayennes are quitehot (about 40,000 scovilles), but a fair number of people can stomach thepunch this spice packs. The second most popular variety of pepper is thejalape–o, which at only about 20,000 scovilles, is pretty mild form of pepper,and most everyone enjoys the zip that the jalape–o brings. For those withasbestos lining their mouths, the haba–ero is the hottest legally availablenatural pepper in the United States. Also known as scotch bonnets or Jamaicanhot peppers, these little fireballs pack anywhere from 200,000 to 300,000scovilles inside them - and if you can get past the heat, you'll notice afruity flavor to them. Another popular variety of chile is the chipotle, whichis essentially a jalape–o that's been roasted over a fire. These particularpeppers add a nice smokiness to their dishes, in addition to the heat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ChivesChives are a member of the wild onion family and tend to grow rather freelyduring warm Midwestern summers. When you can smell onion in the air and you'redriving by a big grass field, chances are, there's chives in that field.Chives are a true multipurpose spice; they can be used on everything frompotatoes to soup to fish to cheese.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~CilantroCilantro is one of three things: Chinese parsley, the Mexican version ofcoriander, or cilantro. These three terms all point to the same spice.Cilantro often "grows up" to be coriander, but they don't have quite the sameflavors. Its flavor is distinctive, and is a taste where you either love it orhate it. Its flavor is quite popular in Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Egyptian,and Mediterranean cooking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~CinnamonCinnamon is a spice which has come into such common use, it goes into nearlyeverything nowadays. Virtually all the cinnamon sold in the U.S. is known ascassia bark, which has a spicier flavor than cinnamon taken from the island ofCeylon. Ceylon cinnamon has a much more delicate flavor. Cinnamon is popularfor everything from pickling spice mixes to puddings to coffee, tea, and wine,to pastries, and even toast. And of course, what apple pie would be completewithout cinnamon?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ClovesCloves come from one of two places - the island of Zanzibar, or the island ofCeylon. Zanzibar cloves are a little less oil in them than the Ceylon clovesdo, Cloves are perfect seasonings for hams, pickled fruits, spicy syrups, andmeat gravies. Ground, they work in baked goods, chocolate pudding, stews, andvegetables.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Coriander SeedCoriander seed is what the cilantro leaf grows from, and the seed's sweet odorwith a hint of lemon is one of the most essential flavors in any Mexican,Middle Eastern, or Indian dish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Cream of TartarMany people have this in their spice racks and have no idea what it does.Cream of tartar is derived from the crust of wine casks, which is where thetartaric acid in the grapes has precipitated out. Cream of tartar also makesgood baking powder: combine 1/4 tsp. baking soda and 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar. Italso helps maintain the fluffiness of meringues (whipped egg whites) and is agood copper cleaner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Cumin SeedAlso known as comino, cumin seed has its origin in Indian and Arabic cultures.Its flavor is crucial in Indian curries, and its earthy flavor lends itselfwell to homemade chili dishes. Mexican cultures also use cumin seed heavily,with nearly every meat dish having a dose of cumin seed in it. Swiss and Dutchcountries use cumin in cheeses, and some European countries use it to flavortheir breads. It's also a popular ingredient in things like deviled eggs, meatloaf. and some soups.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Creole SeasoningCreole seasoning is something that is quickly gaining popularity, due in nosmall part to Emeril Lagasse's "kicked-up" style of cooking. Many brands ofCreole seasoning are used like salt - when it's salty enough, it's seasonedproperly. Most Creole seasonings start with a blend of salt, garlic, onion,black and red pepper, oregano, and thyme, and it's all to taste from there.Creole seasoning is one of those "good on everything" spices that just seemsto work well on everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Curry PowderCurry powders are frequently found in two varieties: hot and hotter. Thelower-heat version is sometimes known as "sweet" curry, and is also called a"Western" or "Occidental" blend of curry. All curries are known for the widepalate of flavors they give, and some are made with as many as 20 spices.They're great for salt-free cooking too, and add a great depth of flavors towhatever it's combined with. Some of the best curries can be found ininternational groceries or groceries that specialize in ethnic foods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dill Seed or Dill WeedDill is where hamburger pickle slices get their tangy zip. Their mildlypungent flavor adds a wonderful complexity to breads, soups, vegetables, andsauerkraut. German pork roasts use about 1 tsp. of dill seed per pound of meatfor their characteristic flavor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~EpazoteEpazote is a popular Mexican herb - it is frequently found in bean dishes,Mexican soup dishes, and molŽs. Epazote pairs well with other herbs, likecilantro and parsley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fennel SeedFennel seed has a very long history, and was believed by ancient cultures tobe one of 9 "sacred" herbs. The Chinese and Hindus used it to cure snakebites, and medieval cultures hung it over doorways to ward off evil spirits.Fennel's flavor is similar to anise, but more delicate, light, and sweet. Itis used frequently in breads, rolls, and pastries, and is great for sweetpickles, and works well with tomato dishes, and even in curing brines forsalmon or bluefish. Fennel is also a requirement for Italian sausages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~FenugreekFenugreek is another one of the ancient spices thought to have additionalproperties. Fenugreek was also a part of the ancient Egyptian embalmingrituals. It is not typically found in homes, but it is a crucial component incurries and chutneys.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fines HerbesFines Herbes is a common blend of a few basic herbs. One combination ischervil, parsley, thyme, and tarragon. The flavor is light, and works well inplace of parsley in dishes. Its delicate flavor won't overwhelm, either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~FilŽFilŽ is an important component in Creole cookery, and is typically made frompowdered sassafras leaves. Many Creole seasoning blends have some of this init, and its biggest use is in gumbos. FilŽ has a sweet, fruity scent to it,and has a most unusual flavor. It also acts as a thickener when added toliquid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~GarlicGarlic is one of those spices which everybody uses. Other than its almostuniversal use in cooking, garlic was used as a ward against evil spirits, andof course, everyone knows that vampires hate garlic. Garlic's pungent flavoris found in everything from soups to pastas to meat dishes, and is one of onlya few truly "universal" spices. Garlic powder is a convenient form of thespice, and powdered garlic is also available as "high bulk index" garlic,which is ideal for quick-cook recipes. Garlic is also sold in "fresh minced"form, where it is bottled with some water and vacuum-sealed, in an instantminced form, and as a juice - where the flavor of garlic is desired but thetexture is not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~GingerGinger is a spice that is one of the oldest spices in existence - it has beencatalogged in manuals of science and medicine as far back as the 5th centuryBC. Even the Koran mentions ginger in its pages as the basis of a drink whichis shared amongst those in Paradise. Hindu cultures viewed ginger as amedicinal aid, and Middle Eastern cultures used ginger in nearly everything.For the Chinese, ginger has a long history, in part because of its medicinaluses and also because of the spiritual part ginger played in early religiousceremonies. Ginger's major uses include pickling mixtures, cookies,spicecakes, and meat and poultry dishes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~HorseradishHorseradish is an excellent flavor, and is known for its exceedingly powerfulheat. Horseradish is sold several ways. Prepared horseradish typically is apaste or spread, and is made with only a small amount of ground horseradish tokeep the heat down. Raw horseradish can be a bit difficult to find, and issold packed in either a vinegar brine or water-based brine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lemon GrassLemon Grass is a spice that is coming into more popularity as Asian and Thaifoods gain popularity here in America. It is so named because of its lemonyflavor, and adds a wonderful citrus scent to everything. Thai cultures uselemon grass as Western cultures do parsley, and it is seen in nearly everykind of soup in Thailand. Unless you have ethnic Asian groceries in yourhometown or you live in China or Thailand, fresh lemon grass may be hard tocome by, so dried lemon grass will work well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~MaceMace is made from the dried lacy-looking shell around the seed of a nutmegtree. Initially a bright scarlet color, when it is dried, it fades to a lightbrown. Mace is a good addition to fish and meat stuffings, peach and cherrypies, fruitcakes, oyster stew, creamed eggs, whipped cream, and even barbecuesauces. Interestingly enough, most American hot dogs contain ground mace. Itsflavor is similar to nutmeg, but lighter, and can be substituted for nutmeg inmost recipes. This substitution also goes the other way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~MahlebMahleb is one of the more exotic spices in our list. Greek in nature, it ismade from the pits of sour cherries and is a frequent ingredient inMediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. Its common uses include breads,cakes, and pastries. The best way to buy this particular spice is whole, thengrind it up as you need it. Its flavor is nutty but somewhat bitter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~MarjoramMarjoram is loosely related to oregano, and in Italy, is frequently used whereAmericans might use oregano, with the exception of pizzas. England's kingsordered fresh herbs to be scattered about to help prevent the clothing ofnoble guests from being dirtied, and marjoram's highly aromatic qualities ledKing James II of England to have eighteen bushels of the leafy herb to bestrewn about before his coronation! Marjoram's uses include meat dishes suchas lamb, mutton, sausages, meat loaf, and many processed meats, such asliverwurst, Polish sausage, head cheese, and bologna. Marjoram is also a greatherb when used in stuffings for turkey and chicken. Marjoram is also delicate- it is recommended that it be added to the mixture during the last half ofcooking to help preserve its flavor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~MintMint is an extremely popular flavor, but the only kinds of mint that we usefrequently are spearmint and peppermint. Most mint is used fresh, but you cansometimes get it dried. When I was a lot younger my uncle had a mint patch outbehind his house and we'd pick a few mint leaves and suck on them for a fewhours. Peppermint leaves can be made into tea, and it can be used to flavorsweets, candies, or liquors. Spearmint is the mint flavor most frequentlyfound in cooking, and is the version of mint used in mint jellies that areserved with roast lamb. Mint only really combines well with lamb or duck interms of meats, but it goes well with fruits and most vegetables, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Monosodium GlutamateMonosodium glutamate is by itself flavorless - but it is known for being ableto boost the intensity of flavors that it is added to. It has had some badpress because of allergic reactions, but is otherwise a very useful additive.Be sure you know if you're allergic to it or not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~MustardMustard is typically available in three varieties: whole, ground, andprepared. Whole mustard is the entire seed, and there are three varieties:yellow, Oriental, and brown. Yellow mustard seeds are the most common variety,and are frequently used in pickling spice mixes, potato salad, and cabbagedishes. Oriental seeds add a pungent, hot flavor to dishes, and the brown(sometimes called black mustard) seeds are also hotter than their yellowbrethren, and are frequent members in Italian cooking. Ground is essentiallythe same stuff, but brown mustard is not typically found ground. What isfrequently found in stores is the yellow powder, oriental powder, and a blend,like Coleman's English mustard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~NutmegThe scent of nutmeg often brings out memories of sitting at home during theChristmas season with a cup of eggnog with a light sprinkle of nutmeg over thetop, by a warm fire. Nutmeg does have other uses, though. Ground nutmeg isreally quite strong, and is used sparingly - but its list of uses is immense.Nutmeg goes extremely well with vegetable recipes, just about anything that'sbaked, and in cream soups. It's also a popular flavoring for pork or bratwurstsausages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~OnionOnions are about as common as it gets. They're exceedingly inexpensive, andadd a ton of flavor. Onions are available in several forms - the most commonof which is the yellow onion. Yellow onions are slightly sweet, and have alight yellowish covering on them. Red onions are a little more tart, and havethe characteristic purplish covering. White onions are smaller than yellowonions, but are otherwise not much different. Scallions and green onions areessentially the same thing, and have a very mild onion flavor. Shallots areminiature white onions, and have a flavor that lies in between the yellowonion and the scallions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Orange PeelOrange peel is the same thing as the zest of an orange, without the pith (thewhite covering around the flesh of an orange). Usually, this is added to givea citrus flavor to a dish, and is quickly becoming very popular. Orange peelis a frequent ingredient in marinades, and it has also been an ingredient inone of the most popular steak sauces around, A.1.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~OreganoOregano is yet another staple spice. Available in two varieties, Mediterraneanand Mexican, each having a distinctly different flavor. Mediterranean oreganohas a milder flavor which is the typical flavor included in Italian dishes.Mexican oregano has more bite and is earthier, and it blends well with spicy,south-of-the-border style dishes. The ground or dried leaves versions go wellwith just about anything that has tomato in it, and fresh leaves work well invegetable dishes and salads.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~PaprikaPaprika is a spice which carries some confusion with it. Paprika is really aground pepper, and it is available in two varieties - sweet, and hot. It isfrequently used as a garnish with deviled eggs, potato or pasta salads, bakedchickens and fish, It's a good addition to colorless foods, and the hotvariety will add a great little punch to foods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ParsleyParsley is another dual-purpose spice: a garnish, and a flavoring. Parsley'ssweet flavor is a great addition to chicken dishes, and powdered soupsfrequently have dried parsley in the spice packet. Parsley's deep green coloralso adds a lovely color contrast to dishes as well, hence its use as agarnish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~PeppercornsThe most common variety of peppercorn is the black peppercorn, taken from theMalabar coast of India. These peppercorns are picked from their plants justbefore the peppercorns turn red, and as they dry, the berries turn black. Thebest pepper is ground fresh from the corn as you need it. Black pepper is sopopular, it has actually been nicknamed "The Master Spice." Whole peppercornsare also popular in meats, sauces, gravies, and other dishes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Poppy SeedThese tiny seeds hail from the shores of Holland, Poland, The Netherlands, andTurkey, and have a delightful nutty flavor. Poppy seeds are great as a toppingon breads and pastries, and the spice works well as addition to noodles andsalad greens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~RosemaryRosemary is steeped in legend as the symbol of marital fidelity andremembrance - an old customwas for bridesmaids to present the groom with abunch of aromatic rosemary leaves on the morning of his wedding so he wouldremember to be faithful. Rosemary is a popular spice in lamb and chickendishes, as well as tomato dishes. The spice is available as whole needles,cracked needles, and ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~SaffronSaffron has the distinction of being oldest and the most expensive spice inthe world - fortunately, you only need a few threads to bring the healthyflavor and distinctive yellow color to dishes. Saffron is believed to havebeen harvested as early as 1700 BC! Made from the dried stigma of a plant inthe crocus family, true saffron costs so much because of the intensive laborrequired to harvest it. It takes about one acre of land and over 75,000flowers to harvest one pound of saffron - and what's worse, the flowers mustbe picked during a one-week window where the flowers bloom. Saffron threadsrange in color from a deep yellow to a bright rust-red, with the redder thethreads, the more intense the flavor. Saffron is imported from Spain and costsover $1,100 a pound if you really felt the need to buy that much. One gram ofsaffron is much more economical, costing about $7-15, and has several hundredthreads in a package. Try to avoid supermarket saffron if you can because itis usually marked up several times over. For example, I saw a jar of saffronselling for $15 that only had about 20 or 30 threads in the little vial insidethe jar. Saffron is perfect for chicken soups, rice dishes, and even saffronbreads.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~SageSage is yet another spice steeped in history. Sage's medicinal qualities arewell-known, believed to counteract the indigestion caused by such foods assausage or fowl dressing. The flavor is pungent and just a little bitter, andits popular uses pork and poultry, and is a great spice for sausages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~SavorySavory comes in two varieties, summer and winter. Summer savory has a sweeterflavor than the winter savory, it is similar to thyme with a peppery touch.Savory is a good substitute for sage in poultry stuffing and sausages. It isimported from France and Spain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~TarragonTarragon has an elusive flavor, and is a spice of relatively recent origin. Itcame into heavy use in the 17th century in France, and it is commonly found inmany French sauces. It is a good addition to herbal butters, chicken, rabbit,or veal dishes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ThymeThyme is an herb with a long history - long thought to be aphrodisiac inquality, hosts would cover their palaces with enough thyme so that thearomatic herb would be smelled by the ladies. Thyme was also thought toenchant faeries, and is an ingredient in a concoction thought to give humansthe ability to see them. Thyme works well in any heavy dish, like soups,stews, chowders, stuffing, gumbos, and roast chicken or pork. It is also anessential ingredient in the bouquet garni, and is a good general-use spice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~TurmericTurmeric is an ingredient essential in curry powders, and is what gives it itscharacteristic yellow color. In ancient times, the highly expensive saffronstigma was used as a yellow dye for clothing. It was later discovered thatturmeric gave the clothing the same brilliant color and saffron was quicklyplaced aside for special culinary dishes. Turmeric's flavor has a light,almost musky flavor, and is an ingredient in prepared mustards and picklingmixes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~VanillaVanilla is available in two forms, as a bean, and as an extract. Vanillaextract is what most people are familiar with, as it is a crucial ingredientin cookies. Vanilla extract is where many cakes and pastries get their breadthof flavor. Vanilla beans on the other hand, need to be cut open to get theflavorful seeds out. Single beans can get quite expensive, being as much as $4for a single bean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~WasabiWasabi is a strain of horseradish found only in Japan - the powder has a sharpflavor and is hotter than traditional white horseradish. Wasabi provides anherbal heat rather than the powerful punch packed by chiles. Wasabi powder canalso be turned into mustard - mix equal parts powder and water.

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A "Secondary Section" is a named appendix or a front-matter section ofthe Document that deals exclusively with the relationship of thepublishers or authors of the Document to the Document's overall subject(or to related matters) and contains nothing that could fall directlywithin that overall subject. (For example, if the Document is in part atextbook of mathematics, a Secondary Section may not explain anymathematics.) The relationship could be a matter of historicalconnection with the subject or with related matters, or of legal,commercial, philosophical, ethical or political position regardingthem.

The "Invariant Sections" are certain Secondary Sections whose titlesare designated, as being those of Invariant Sections, in the noticethat says that the Document is released under this License.

The "Cover Texts" are certain short passages of text that are listed,as Front-Cover Texts or Back-Cover Texts, in the notice that says thatthe Document is released under this License.

A "Transparent" copy of the Document means a machine-readable copy,represented in a format whose specification is available to thegeneral public, whose contents can be viewed and edited directly andstraightforwardly with generic text editors or (for images composed ofpixels) generic paint programs or (for drawings) some widely availabledrawing editor, and that is suitable for input to text formatters orfor automatic translation to a variety of formats suitable for inputto text formatters. A copy made in an otherwise Transparent fileformat whose markup has been designed to thwart or discouragesubsequent modification by readers is not Transparent. A copy that isnot "Transparent" is called "Opaque".

Examples of suitable formats for Transparent copies include plainASCII without markup, Texinfo input format, LaTeX input format, SGMLor XML using a publicly available DTD, and standard-conforming simpleHTML designed for human modification. Opaque formats includePostScript, PDF, proprietary formats that can be read and edited onlyby proprietary word processors, SGML or XML for which the DTD and/orprocessing tools are not generally available, and themachine-generated HTML produced by some word processors for outputpurposes only.

The "Title Page" means, for a printed book, the title page itself,plus such following pages as are needed to hold, legibly, the materialthis License requires to appear in the title page. For works informats which do not have any title page as such, "Title Page" meansthe text near the most prominent appearance of the work's title,preceding the beginning of the body of the text.

2. VERBATIM COPYING

You may copy and distribute the Document in any medium, eithercommercially or noncommercially, provided that this License, thecopyright notices, and the license notice saying this License appliesto the Document are reproduced in all copies, and that you add no otherconditions whatsoever to those of this License. You may not usetechnical measures to obstruct or control the reading or furthercopying of the copies you make or distribute. However, you may acceptcompensation in exchange for copies. If you distribute a large enoughnumber of copies you must also follow the conditions in section 3.

You may also lend copies, under the same conditions stated above, andyou may publicly display copies.

3. COPYING IN QUANTITY

If you publish printed copies of the Document numbering more than 100,and the Document's license notice requires Cover Texts, you must enclosethe copies in covers that carry, clearly and legibly, all these CoverTexts: Front-Cover Texts on the front cover, and Back-Cover Texts onthe back cover. Both covers must also clearly and legibly identifyyou as the publisher of these copies. The front cover must presentthe full title with all words of the title equally prominent andvisible. You may add other material on the covers in addition.Copying with changes limited to the covers, as long as they preservethe title of the Document and satisfy these conditions, can be treatedas verbatim copying in other respects.

If the required texts for either cover are too voluminous to fitlegibly, you should put the first ones listed (as many as fitreasonably) on the actual cover, and continue the rest onto adjacentpages.

If you publish or distribute Opaque copies of the Document numberingmore than 100, you must either include a machine-readable Transparentcopy along with each Opaque copy, or state in or with each Opaque copya publicly-accessible computer-network location containing a completeTransparent copy of the Document, free of added material, which thegeneral network-using public has access to download anonymously at nocharge using public-standard network protocols. If you use the latteroption, you must take reasonably prudent steps, when you begindistribution of Opaque copies in quantity, to ensure that thisTransparent copy will remain thus accessible at the stated locationuntil at least one year after the last time you distribute an Opaquecopy (directly or through your agents or retailers) of that edition tothe public.

It is requested, but not required, that you contact the authors of theDocument well before redistributing any large number of copies, to givethem a chance to provide you with an updated version of the Document.

4. MODIFICATIONS

You may copy and distribute a Modified Version of the Document underthe conditions of sections 2 and 3 above, provided that you releasethe Modified Version under precisely this License, with the ModifiedVersion filling the role of the Document, thus licensing distributionand modification of the Modified Version to whoever possesses a copyof it. In addition, you must do these things in the Modified Version:

A. Use in the Title Page (and on the covers, if any) a title distinct from that of the Document, and from those of previous versions (which should, if there were any, be listed in the History section of the Document). You may use the same title as a previous version if the original publisher of that version gives permission.B. List on the Title Page, as authors, one or more persons or entities responsible for authorship of the modifications in the Modified Version, together with at least five of the principal authors of the Document (all of its principal authors, if it has less than five).C. State on the Title page the name of the publisher of the Modified Version, as the publisher.D. Preserve all the copyright notices of the Document.E. Add an appropriate copyright notice for your modifications adjacent to the other copyright notices.F. Include, immediately after the copyright notices, a license notice giving the public permission to use the Modified Version under the terms of this License, in the form shown in the Addendum below.G. Preserve in that license notice the full lists of Invariant Sections and required Cover Texts given in the Document's license notice.H. Include an unaltered copy of this License.I. Preserve the section entitled "History", and its title, and add to it an item stating at least the title, year, new authors, and publisher of the Modified Version as given on the Title Page. If there is no section entitled "History" in the Document, create one stating the title, year, authors, and publisher of the Document as given on its Title Page, then add an item describing the Modified Version as stated in the previous sentence.J. Preserve the network location, if any, given in the Document for public access to a Transparent copy of the Document, and likewise the network locations given in the Document for previous versions it was based on. These may be placed in the "History" section. You may omit a network location for a work that was published at least four years before the Document itself, or if the original publisher of the version it refers to gives permission.K. In any section entitled "Acknowledgements" or "Dedications", preserve the section's title, and preserve in the section all the substance and tone of each of the contributor acknowledgements and/or dedications given therein.L. Preserve all the Invariant Sections of the Document, unaltered in their text and in their titles. Section numbers or the equivalent are not considered part of the section titles.M. Delete any section entitled "Endorsements". Such a section may not be included in the Modified Version.N. Do not retitle any existing section as "Endorsements" or to conflict in title with any Invariant Section.

If the Modified Version includes new front-matter sections orappendices that qualify as Secondary Sections and contain no materialcopied from the Document, you may at your option designate some or allof these sections as invariant. To do this, add their titles to thelist of Invariant Sections in the Modified Version's license notice.These titles must be distinct from any other section titles.

You may add a section entitled "Endorsements", provided it containsnothing but endorsements of your Modified Version by variousparties--for example, statements of peer review or that the text hasbeen approved by an organization as the authoritative definition of astandard.

You may add a passage of up to five words as a Front-Cover Text, and apassage of up to 25 words as a Back-Cover Text, to the end of the listof Cover Texts in the Modified Version. Only one passage ofFront-Cover Text and one of Back-Cover Text may be added by (orthrough arrangements made by) any one entity. If the Document alreadyincludes a cover text for the same cover, previously added by you orby arrangement made by the same entity you are acting on behalf of,you may not add another; but you may replace the old one, on explicitpermission from the previous publisher that added the old one.

The author(s) and publisher(s) of the Document do not by this Licensegive permission to use their names for publicity for or to assert orimply endorsement of any Modified Version.

5. COMBINING DOCUMENTS

You may combine the Document with other documents released under thisLicense, under the terms defined in section 4 above for modifiedversions, provided that you include in the combination all of theInvariant Sections of all of the original documents, unmodified, andlist them all as Invariant Sections of your combined work in itslicense notice.

The combined work need only contain one copy of this License, andmultiple identical Invariant Sections may be replaced with a singlecopy. If there are multiple Invariant Sections with the same name butdifferent contents, make the title of each such section unique byadding at the end of it, in parentheses, the name of the originalauthor or publisher of that section if known, or else a unique number.Make the same adjustment to the section titles in the list ofInvariant Sections in the license notice of the combined work.

In the combination, you must combine any sections entitled "History"in the various original documents, forming one section entitled"History"; likewise combine any sections entitled "Acknowledgements",and any sections entitled "Dedications". You must delete all sectionsentitled "Endorsements."

6. COLLECTIONS OF DOCUMENTS

You may make a collection consisting of the Document and other documentsreleased under this License, and replace the individual copies of thisLicense in the various documents with a single copy that is included inthe collection, provided that you follow the rules of this License forverbatim copying of each of the documents in all other respects.

You may extract a single document from such a collection, and distributeit individually under this License, provided you insert a copy of thisLicense into the extracted document, and follow this License in allother respects regarding verbatim copying of that document.

7. AGGREGATION WITH INDEPENDENT WORKS

A compilation of the Document or its derivatives with other separateand independent documents or works, in or on a volume of a storage ordistribution medium, does not as a whole count as a Modified Versionof the Document, provided no compilation copyright is claimed for thecompilation. Such a compilation is called an "aggregate", and thisLicense does not apply to the other self-contained works thus compiledwith the Document, on account of their being thus compiled, if theyare not themselves derivative works of the Document.

If the Cover Text requirement of section 3 is applicable to thesecopies of the Document, then if the Document is less than one quarterof the entire aggregate, the Document's Cover Texts may be placed oncovers that surround only the Document within the aggregate.Otherwise they must appear on covers around the whole aggregate.

8. TRANSLATION

Translation is considered a kind of modification, so you maydistribute translations of the Document under the terms of section 4.Replacing Invariant Sections with translations requires specialpermission from their copyright holders, but you may includetranslations of some or all Invariant Sections in addition to theoriginal versions of these Invariant Sections. You may include atranslation of this License provided that you also include theoriginal English version of this License. In case of a disagreementbetween the translation and the original English version of thisLicense, the original English version will prevail.

9. TERMINATION

You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Document exceptas expressly provided for under this License. Any other attempt tocopy, modify, sublicense or distribute the Document is void, and willautomatically terminate your rights under this License. However,parties who have received copies, or rights, from you under thisLicense will not have their licenses terminated so long as suchparties remain in full compliance.

10. FUTURE REVISIONS OF THIS LICENSE

The Free Software Foundation may publish new, revised versionsof the GNU Free Documentation License from time to time. Such newversions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but maydiffer in detail to address new problems or concerns. Seehttp://www.gnu.org/copyleft/.

Each version of the License is given a distinguishing version number.If the Document specifies that a particular numbered version of thisLicense "or any later version" applies to it, you have the option offollowing the terms and conditions either of that specified version orof any later version that has been published (not as a draft) by theFree Software Foundation. If the Document does not specify a versionnumber of this License, you may choose any version ever published (notas a draft) by the Free Software Foundation.

ADDENDUM: How to use this License for your documents

To use this License in a document you have written, include a copy ofthe License in the document and put the following copyright andlicense notices just after the title page:

Copyright (c) YEAR YOUR NAME. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the Invariant Sections being LIST THEIR TITLES, with the Front-Cover Texts being LIST, and with the Back-Cover Texts being LIST. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

If you have no Invariant Sections, write "with no Invariant Sections"instead of saying which ones are invariant. If you have noFront-Cover Texts, write "no Front-Cover Texts" instead of"Front-Cover Texts being LIST"; likewise for Back-Cover Texts.

If your document contains nontrivial examples of program code, werecommend releasing these examples in parallel under your choice offree software license, such as the GNU General Public License,to permit their use in free software.